£10k boost for vulnerable young Scots to improve digital skills

Young people in Scotland supported by The Prince’s Trust and Young Scot are set to benefit from a £10k funding boost to help them improve their digital skills.

The funding has been made available by the Carnegie UK Trust as part of its #NotWithoutMe project which aims to support organisations throughout the UK and Ireland that are working to address and test solutions to the digital challenges facing vulnerable young people aged 12-25.

Both The Prince’s Trust, a youth charity which helps vulnerable young people aged 13 to 30 get into jobs, education and training, and Young Scot, the national youth information and citizenship charity for young people aged 11 to 26, will work together to help young people get support to access and use the latest technology to develop their employability skills.

The activity, called Digital Ignition, will involve the chance to co-design digital workshop training sessions with young people and an interactive jam session which will encourage young people with similar experiences to come together and share their understanding and learnings of all things digital.

Allan Watt, director of Prince’s Trust Scotland, said: “Too often vulnerable young people are at a disadvantage when it comes to having the confidence and digital skills which employers are crying out for.

“Our partnership with Carnegie UK Trust and Young Scot will give young people the opportunity to share their experiences and create a project which truly supports their needs.”

Louise Macdonald, chief executive of Young Scot, said: “As a digital first organisation, we understand the huge role that technology plays in the lives of young people. However, many young people are often considered ‘digital natives’, but we know from our work with young people that access and skills are not available to all. That is why we are so pleased to partner with The Prince’s Trust to support young people in gaining these vital skills.”

The Carnegie UK Trust is encouraging organisations in Glasgow and across Scotland to get involved and support the Digital Ignition work by donating digital technology or through technical support and mentoring.

You can offer help or get in touch at notwithoutme@carnegieuk.org

Gina Wilson, senior projects officer at the Carnegie UK Trust and leader of the #NotWithoutMe project, said: “Young people who lack basic digital skills are prevented from doing things most of us now take for granted as part of everyday life, whether that’s seeking employment opportunities, accessing services or social experiences.

“In our increasingly digital world, the focus of the #NotWithoutMe project is on finding ways of helping our most vulnerable young people to feel included. No-one should be left behind.”

The Trust will work with the Prince’s Trust and Young Scot to provide advice, help develop a framework for evaluating project activities and help groups to identify external support for their work.

Gina continued: “We are very much looking forward to working with the Prince’s Trust, Young Scot and the young people they support, and can’t wait to share what we learn.”

Three additional projects throughout the country have also benefited from £10k of funding. More can be found here: www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk / @_NOT_WITHOUT_ME on Instagram or by searching the Twitter hashtag #NotWithoutMe or emailing notwithoutme@carnegieuk.org